gto dead, eh? Nahhh nah nah naaaaaaaah!!!

[TraceZ]

I'm with ya there, pal. Daycare is my Corvette. Oh well... I guess I'll just have to settle for 325HP for now.

3 kids, 3 days a week. = $1500 / month
And that is with one in school, so he only needs "after school care" for a couple hours a day. Thank God Tami has Monday and Friday off, otherwise we'd be sunk!

How much car could I afford for that kind of money? I bet I could get a Viper and a Corvette.... and still keep my Z28 too. Me and Norm could hang out.

Daycare!!

[Red20170]

3 kids, 3 days a week. = $1500 / month

I asked one of my coworkers what they pay for day care. He said one kid is $1200.00 a month. That's here in Northern VA. I've been blessed that my mother in law can watch my 3 year old. You have my complete sympathy.

[Dave M]

When my son was in full time day care we were paying about $525/month for 5 days a week. That's definately new car territory there. Even now that he needs only before and after school care, we're paying $240/month.

[Steel2686]

I have one in school, and the other two in daycare three days a week. It's ridiculous. A car payment and a half... A nice car.

[TraceZ]

The last half of 05 was really hard on us. My wife changed jobs and had a baby. We had to cobra our health benefits. For our family of 5 that was $900 / month. Add that to the $1500 / month for daycare and we were shelling out $2400/month just for those two items. It killed us, our tax return is going to pay off most of the debt we ran up, but not all of it. Thank goodness I have a job that includes health benefits now. We should be back in the black by the end of June this year. At one point we had nearly $10,000 on our credit card!

I really dont know how families are supposed to get ahead anymore. We had the deck dealt significantly in our favor, both of us make good money and we own some rental properties but it is still a struggle to get ahead. How does the average family do it?

and the new Camaro will rock with a GTO brother! <-- (bringing my comments back on topic)

[Injuneer]

.... the vette was in the 20Ks 15 years ago instaed of these 50Ks.....

Rather than pull numbers out of your sphincter, try to deal with the facts.

1991 Corvette coupe: $32,455
2006 Corvette coupe: $44,490

Average compound rate of increase in price: 2.125%

Looks to me like its less than the average rate of inflation. What was a fair deal in 1991 is an even better deal in 2006.

I wouldn't ever pay over 40K for any car. They're just gonna depreciate after you drive it off the lot.

News flash.... ALL cars depreciate after you drive them off the lot. The Corvette is one of the better US made cars in terms of retaining its value.

[Steel2686]

News flash.... ALL cars depreciate after you drive them off the lot. The Corvette is one of the better US made cars in terms of retaining its value.

Bingo. Unless you plan on selling it as soon as you get home, depreciation of a vehicle driven off the lot is way overrated.

Besides, if a new Corvette's price and depreciation are of concern, a low mileage, used Vette should be an absolute steal, correct?

[usamuscle892]

Well, sorry guys but I come from a redneck family in southern GA that has found after many years that the best way to go is used. Hell, my 92 RS had 127K when I first got in 2000. There are way too many BadA@@ cars out there that you don't have to drop 40K on to be happy. What happened to just buying a car to build up? Why all of a sudden does everybody have to be on the leading edge of factory HP/torque numbers. HHHHMMMMM I think I'll buy a vette with 400HP for like 40k or 50K (what ever the prices are today, I got better things to do than sit here and memorize what vettes go for ten years ago) when I could go buy a low mileage third gen for a STEAL and drop a crate motor or badA@@ EFI setup in it and be PERFECTLY HAPPY.

[Steel2686]

Well, sorry guys but I come from a redneck family in southern GA that has found after many years that the best way to go is used. Hell, my 92 RS had 127K when I first got in 2000. There are way too many BadA@@ cars out there that you don't have to drop 40K on to be happy. What happened to just buying a car to build up? Why all of a sudden does everybody have to be on the leading edge of factory HP/torque numbers. HHHHMMMMM I think I'll buy a vette with 400HP for like 40k or 50K (what ever the prices are today, I got better things to do than sit here and memorize what vettes go for ten years ago) when I could go buy a low mileage third gen for a STEAL and drop a crate motor or badA@@ EFI setup in it and be PERFECTLY HAPPY.

No one is saying that buying a used car is not a great idea. As an example, I bought my T/A last year with only 16K on the clock, and I got it for a song. I couldn't be happier with it. I would definitely recommend buying used IF horsepower for less is the main concern.

However, there is more to it sometimes. I'm not sure if you've ever driven a Vette or not. It's just a different experience from the F-body. Everything kind of wraps around you. The seats are much lower. The dash is nicer. Then there's that whole feeling that you're driving America's premier sports car. If of that matters to you, then you are 100% correct on your HP value.

Point is, we were really just comparing the Corvette to other new cars as far as value is concerned. You just can't beat it.

[Injuneer]

OK.... let me see if I follow the argument so far......

The "Corvette is a joke" because its a brand new car, and you don't buy new cars.

Have I got it right yet? 'Cause I'm having a hard time figuring it out.

[TraceZ]

OK.... let me see if I follow the argument so far......

The "Corvette is a joke" because its a brand new car, and you don't buy new cars.

Have I got it right yet? 'Cause I'm having a hard time figuring it out.

We all know the truth. He is just angry he cannot afford one. Admit it! You want one! I know I do, but I'm in the same boat you are with a budget that only allows used cars for now. Just wait until all 3 kids are in gradeschool and daycare is not an issue any more. I will have one!!

Besides, the Corvette has not been a car that a typical 20-someting guy can afford. It has always been a 30 or 40 year olds car. The F-body was designed for the younger crowd.

Dont feel bad, or direct anger at the car, just accept what it is and set goals that will put you in the drivers seat sometime down the road. And what a sweet drivers seat it is!

[Joe 1320]

Rather than pull numbers out of your sphincter, try to deal with the facts.

1991 Corvette coupe: $32,455
2006 Corvette coupe: $44,490

Average compound rate of increase in price: 2.125%

Looks to me like its less than the average rate of inflation. What was a fair deal in 1991 is an even better deal in 2006.


News flash.... ALL cars depreciate after you drive them off the lot. The Corvette is one of the better US made cars in terms of retaining its value.

Bingo... also, FYI my 93 40th Anniversary Convertible had a $46,800 sticker. I wont even go there with my 95 ZR-1.

[usamuscle892]

I'm tired of explaining myself and this thread is getting WAAAAAY too long and most of it has NOTHING to do with the topic ( THE GTO!!) so lets get back on topic and leave this Vette thing behind because me having to get on the computer every hour to defend myself over and over again on something I said TWO PAGES back about something non related to the topic is getting old. This thead has turned into a "I have to pay babysitters more than you pay daycare so I can't have a Vette boo hoo hoo" type of conversation. Can we please get back to our cars please. I tried to switch it up a while back by talking about Chip Foose and other things. No One Said Anything. So unless someone changes the subject to the GTO (where it should be to start with) or to something besides how much your daycare costs, I'm not replying to this thread anymore. We all have beautiful F-body's......this is an F-body (not a Corvette) forum........so lets talk about them.....

[00 Ragtop Z]

Call me Curly

>>The Corvette is going to become an absolute joke, as if it isn't already. The only guys that will be able to drive them will be 57 years olds making 125K annually <<

Hey-I resemble that remark!!!!!!!!!

Actually, if I get my Corvette (see my thread about the Impala SS and Corvette I test drove last weekend) I will only be 56 and I don't quite make the $125K--and I am at least 72 payments from retirement!!. But, with the last kid finishing college, even my wife says I owe it to myself !:-)

BTW--Have you driven the new Corvette?? It is one fantastic ride!

[wolfdogs]

buch-0-worthless-heathenistic-keyboard-ramblin-snot-nosed (cept fer fred, he's old like me) flea-bittin-girlie-punks!